ALAMEDA -- The Raiders put their latest loss in the rearview mirror Monday and began preparations in earnest for the Denver Broncos while coach Dennis Allen tended to a family situation in Texas.

Allen left Sunday night after a 20-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns for the Dallas-Fort Worth area to be with his father, Grady Allen, who has a serious undisclosed illness, and the rest of his immediate family.

A Raiders spokesman said Allen arrived at his destination Sunday night and that the coach plans on being back in time to coach against the Broncos on Thursday night at O.co Coliseum.

With Allen out of town, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and defensive coordinator Jason Tarver addressed the media as the Raiders (3-9) began a condensed three days of practice before taking on Peyton Manning and a Denver team (9-3) that already has clinched its second straight AFC West title.

With some assistant coaches having already done some film cut-ups and scouting reports on Denver last week, the staff will essentially be on autopilot until Allen returns Wednesday night.

Players began viewing Denver film Monday, with shorter-than-usual practices scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in order to account for the physical recuperation to play again Thursday.

Knapp said his responsibilities won't deviate much from his normal duties as offensive coordinator.

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"As far as the management of practice itself, the only additional change is I'll have to say, 'Blow the horn,' and then we'll go on to the next period," Knapp said. "Otherwise we're going to be working as we normally would in practice."

Both Knapp and Tarver said they expect to speak with Allen on game-related issues during his absence but will wait until the coach calls them.

Players weren't told of Allen's situation until the game ended and were hoping for the best. Grady Allen, 66, played five years as a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons and went to college at Texas A&M, as his son did later.

"That's sad, man," tackle Khalif Barnes said. "I wish him all the best and hope his father can fight through what he's going through. Our prayers are with him. I understand he's coming back Wednesday night to be with us. I wish him safe travels."

Cornerback Michael Huff said "things will be different because obviously we'll be caring about his situation, just wondering what's going on. But we know we have a game to get ready for. We'll be worried about him, but I think we'll still walk on the field and focus."

Having given up 364 yards passing to Cleveland rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden, the Raiders next face the seemingly impossible task of taking on Manning, who is three-quarters of the way through a season where he could be the NFL's comeback player of the year and Most Valuable Player.

In the Sept. 30 game in Denver, Manning was 30 of 38 for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 37-6 win by the Broncos.

"(We've) just got to find a way," Huff said. "Obviously, it's tough, especially in a short week. (Manning) is their offensive coordinator so they'll know what they're doing. ... We've got to step up and make plays, find a way to rise up and make plays.''

Regarding the Raiders' decision to go for the touchdown while trailing 20-10 with the clock winding down, Knapp said his thinking was that place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski's range is so good it made sense to get the touchdown first, and then rely on the kicker's distance should they get the onside kick.

The problem? It took too long to score the touchdown. One second remained after Carson Palmer hit Brandon Myers with a 17-yard scoring pass.

Addressing the eight pass plays of 20 or more yards by Weeden, Tarver said, "They've happened in zone, man, they've happened in every call known to man."

The Raiders' tendency to give up big plays was perhaps the biggest pet peeve of general manager Reggie McKenzie in a meeting last week with local media.

Safety Matt Giordano, cornerback Phillip Adams and cornerback Mike Mitchell are in the early stages of the NFL concussion protocol, with a limited time to pass their tests before determining their availability Thursday.

Fullback Marcel Reece appeared on the postgame injury report with a hamstring/quadriceps injury.